Barn sticker shock. WOW!

[ovrszd]

Go back read post 1. WCD gave a description of what the price covered.

Wasnt much more than 10 yrs ago a friend had a 40 x 100 x 16 built, concrete floor, electric in the $20 -$30k range. Then his wife fooled around, and she now has it... It was built by PPB listed in a response above. Course he was also the mining engineer at the local portland cement factory, maybe he got a really good deal on concrete.

I kind of know the area where WCD is, his area will command a higher price, too close to yuppieville.

Yeah, I did reread post #1 before I posted my lengthy rant.

With the info listed a quote could easily vary $10K.

Then I reread most of the comparable offerings in subsequent postings. They too lack details.

In the OP's post #1, "some windows" were mentioned........ you wanna tell me what that describes and what would be a good price for them? Go ahead, give it a shot.

 

[duffer]

Just to add a little more confusion for WoodChuckDad...

Have you even considered a "stick frame" barn/garage, instead of just a pole barn? Cost of pole barns around here are nutso!

I built a 30x30x12' high framed "garage/barn" with 18x9' OH door for $18,200 including full concrete floor. Have a block foundation that is 4 courses high. What is NOT included in my number is the exterior finish. Since you want steel, I suspect that would be more than my Hardee board siding, so I backed my exterior finish out of my number. But my "barn" is fully sheathed with 1/2" OSB under the siding.

Used 8/12 trusses, with 30yr shingles. If you do metal roof, that would likely add some cost to the roofing as well. I did the electric myself (piece of cake).

My point is, that since your location sounds some what isolated, you might find a local framer to build this type of building pretty cheap compared to the others.

Just a suggestion...maybe not a good one.

 

[s219]

I do think it's good to price up stick framing in many cases, especially if you plan to really finish the barn, or pour a slab, or deck it out with certain features. All of those things can push a pole barn up in price and take away the value advantage. But aside from price, the main difference will be time -- pole barns can be put up and finished in days, whereas stick frame generally happens in weeks. Also depends on the size of the crew, etc, but pole barn has some advantages for speed and multitasking that you can't achieve with stick framing. A lot of the pole barn process involves tasks that can be done in parallel, whereas stick frame you have a lot of serial tasks and can't move on to the next step without completing the first. I think it's one of those things that until you have done it both ways and seen the pros and cons, it's not always a clear choice.

One other constraint around here -- if you're not doing the work yourself and have to hire it out -- is that most contractors that would do a stick frame job are busy building houses and making bigger bucks because the housing market is pretty strong. Finding one to do a smaller job like a barn could be tough, or maybe even finding one period could be tough. If the housing market takes a crap then this will all change. I remember when we were talking to builders in 2011-2012 when the housing market was at rock bottom, and we had our pick of the best in the area and the best subs. These guys were even taking remodel jobs back then, which they normally don't do.

 

[flusher]

I started reaching out last week to a few builders in my state to get a quote on a 40 x 60 or a 40 x 80 pole barn. I am still looking around and talking to people but it seems that in my county there really are no buildings. So the builders are going to have to come from at least 60 miles away. I just got the first quote for a 40 x 60 with some windows, two man doors, and a 14 foot rollup door. This building would have 16 foot walls metal siding metal roof and that was it. It would have a cement floor. With those simple requirements he said 70s. I would be in the 70s probably upper 70s. He said the cement work would be about 16,000. That makes sense to me it痴 not too far off of what I figured since I just had my foundation for my house put in last year. I am flabbergasted. That is $30 a square foot. There is just no way. Absolutely no way on gods green earth that I would pay $75,000 for a 2400 square foot cement floor barn

$30 per sq ft. That's exactly what I paid in June 2005 for a 1000 sq ft metal shop building 24 x 42 ft, 12 ft walls, two 10x10 ft rollup doors, one man door, one window, concrete floor (6" thick, 4000 psi concrete, #4 rebar on 24" centers). $23 per sq ft x 1.30 inflation factor = $30 sq ft in 2019 dollars.



Good luck

 

[buckeyefarmer]

APM didnt list a 16 high in their price examples, but a 40 x 60 x 12, one man door, one window, two slider doors is $14k in material. I would expect to go up to 16 ft will put it near $20k in material. Add your 16k for concrete (installed) thats at $36k. $70k is ridiculous. I would expect around $50k built, thats $14k just for barn labor.

Pole barn companies tend to travel long distances to build. 60 miles is nothing.

 

[YanmarFever]

I just put up a 36x60 all steel building, it has to withstand a 180 mph hurricane wind force.
3 roll ups, 1 man door and concrete 12" thick + permits and fees.

It cost a lot more than I thought it would, but that's the price we all pay to store our tractors, trucks and tools from the elements and thieves . Its not the same world our Dads grew up in, that's for sure !

 

[cat fever]

I just put up a 36x60 all steel building, it has to withstand a 180 mph hurricane wind force.
3 roll ups, 1 man door and concrete 12" thick + permits and fees.

It cost a lot more than I thought it would, but that's the price we all pay to store our tractors, trucks and tools from the elements and thieves . Its not the same world our Dads grew up in, that's for sure !

None of my business for sure, but what do you need 12" thick concrete for? :confused3:

 

[YanmarFever]

None of my business for sure, but what do you need 12" thick concrete for? :confused3:

I am (guessing) you have never ridden out a major hurricane. I have seen tile roofs (trusses and all) flying in the air.
Tornadoes will pile up cars like toys, barbecues will wrap around a telephone pole, and lawns stripped off like cake icing.
Our building is all bolted down to the 12" concrete (hopefully) to withstand all this. (Lord willing)

 

[cat fever]

Ok, makes perfect sense now.

You are correct, I have never been around a hurricane. I did ride through Moore Oklahoma just after they had the F5 tornado about 4-5 years ago. The devastation was unbelievable.

 

[ovrszd]

It's not the thickness of the concrete that increases storm survival. It's how the building is anchored to said concrete. Then it's the ability of the structure to stay intact.

 

[fried1765]

It's not the thickness of the concrete that increases storm survival. It's how the building is anchored to said concrete. Then it's the ability of the structure to stay intact.

I agree!
A 12" floor makes no sense to me.
I have a 36x48 pole barn, and a 40x50 stick built.
Both have 4" concrete floors.

I am 1/3 mile from the ocean, in a 140 mph design code zone.
Insurance companies consider it a high risk zone and will not write individual policies (I am 40' above MSL)
I would be required to be in a state managed insurance pool,.... with absurd premiums.
I have Lloyds of London for insurance instead.

My 289 year old house (put together with pegs) is on the policy as well.
Crude stone and brick foundation there. No tie down.
I just wonder how many hurricanes it has been through.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Go back read post 1. WCD gave a description of what the price covered.

Wasnt much more than 10 yrs ago a friend had a 40 x 100 x 16 built, concrete floor, electric in the $20 -$30k range. Then his wife fooled around, and she now has it... It was built by PPB listed in a response above. Course he was also the mining engineer at the local portland cement factory, maybe he got a really good deal on concrete.

I kind of know the area where WCD is, his area will command a higher price, too close to yuppieville.

I think you hit it on the nose, Buckeye. We are in a building boom here. The prices for townhouses are ridiculous. My place is rural, on a dirt road but less that 20 miles from the city and there is a lot of money moving in around here. Or at least a lot of people with good enough credit to buy overpriced homes. There is a high priced “village/town” 7 miles from me where you can spend half a million on a house that’s so close to your neighbor, that you can toss them a beer when you are both on your porch. And there are no less than 1000 houses being built right now in my area of the county. That is not a number i pulled out of the air. It comes from the county government. It probably doesnt compare to some places but its
Crazy just the same. As for the first estimate,

 

[ovrszd]

I kust finished a 1900 sqft shop and am finishing a 2400 sqft house. Costs are directly related to details.

Can you build a shop cheaper than mine? You bet.

Can you build my shop cheaper? Probably not.

Three things determine the cost of a building. Details, details, details.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Well we will find out what I can do, and what details I can achieve. I think I can get all the features I want for 30k in materials plus the cement. and put it together myself.
And what I want. 40x60x16 at least a 4/12 pitch. 2 roll ups and 2 man doors. 4 windows. walls and ceiling Insulated. Grey Roof, Grey sides, Grey Trim. my wife chose the color and she keeps saying she likes the kind of silvery look of the galvalume panels. It sounds like a trap so I am gonna spend a little energy finding out and making sure. I am thinking that I will just order the painted grey . The insulation kicks me up to about 30K. Perhaps just over.
One of the better quotes I got for the steel structure. was $22,000 for 40x60 with Grey roof and sides. 4/12 pitch. garage rollup frame out is about 500, door frame out about 200.

 

[ovrszd]

Now we're getting down to details. Lot more to this than appears on the surface. All desires need to be settled on and discussed with the supplier.

Eddie Walker would be better at this than I. With that said, I'll rattle off things based on my recent experience.

Doors - Is your walkin insulated, steel clad, with window? Prehung and painted? What type of latch and is it lockable?

Doors- Are you using rollups oroverheads? If rollups, are they insulated, high quality doors or cheap ones? If overheads are they high quality name brand, insulated, steel clad inside, torsion spring, latch/lock equipped, painted?

Windows - What size, sliders or double hung, insulated glass, prehung/painted, Low E glass, vinyl clad, wood framed?

Insulation - R value and type in walls, ceiling? Are you adding flat ceiling and using blow in? Don't just depend on buildimg wrap if you expect good insulation value.

Structure - Pole spacing, purlin material and spacing, truss material and load rating? Thickness of metal panel and paint quality? Screwed on metal or nailed? Typar wrapped? OSB sheeted?

I'm sure I missed a lot but hopefully got you thinking. The various answers to my questions can change the cost of your building 40% easily.

Friend of mine recently built a shop slightly larger than mine for $25K. I have 80K in mine. Nothing about our two buildings is comparable. Nothing.

 

[EddieWalker]

I tell my clients all the time that I don't care what they pick out, it all installs the same. I've installed $20 front door knobs, and $300 door knobs. Neither where anything special. Same with lights, tile, faucets and most everything else in a house. But what does happen is the budget can easily double based on how they want to finish it, how trendy they want to be, and how much time they spend shopping around. My wife likes to look once, make a choice, and that's that. But I'm at the different stores every day, all week, and I'm always looking at what's out there and for ways to do it for less and get the best results.

Wood posts in the ground type of pole barns are the most cost effective way to build. A rectangle is the most cost effective way to build. Changing those two things gives you a different building, but not necessarily one that will last longer. Just like my client with the $300 door knob, what do you have to have to be happy with it?

 

[ovrszd]

I tell my clients all the time that I don't care what they pick out, it all installs the same. I've installed $20 front door knobs, and $300 door knobs. Neither where anything special. Same with lights, tile, faucets and most everything else in a house. But what does happen is the budget can easily double based on how they want to finish it, how trendy they want to be, and how much time they spend shopping around. My wife likes to look once, make a choice, and that's that. But I'm at the different stores every day, all week, and I'm always looking at what's out there and for ways to do it for less and get the best results.

Wood posts in the ground type of pole barns are the most cost effective way to build. A rectangle is the most cost effective way to build. Changing those two things gives you a different building, but not necessarily one that will last longer. Just like my client with the $300 door knob, what do you have to have to be happy with it?

Yep.

And these things concern me with building "kit" prices. Are they selling your a walk in door that will outlast you and your kids? Or are they selling you a door that you will hate everytime you go thru it? Will the windows seal and not sweat/frost over? Or will you know the outside temperature based on walking near the window? Will you be amazed at how smoothly the overhead doors operate? Or will you step out of the way each time you raise/lower them? These things need clarity before the first check is signed.

Some things are worth the extra money. Some are not. For example, I don't like door knobs on my shop walk in doors. I often go thru them with my arms full. I'll take a handle, regardless of cost.

When I turn on the lights I want to walk anywhere in the shop and not need additional lighting. I used T8 4ft six bulb fixtures with fluorescent bulbs. Great lighting. Horrible interference with my door openers. Had to convert them to LED. Wish I'd known that before I started.....

I expect flat, smooth, strong concrete. Cost me $10 p/square foot. Worth every penny.

I expect efficient heat. Cost me a LOT of money in insulation, quality insulated windows/doors, tightly built building.

These things are why my building cost three and half times my friend's building. Went to a birthday party in his shop this Winter. Stood within a couple feet of his wood stove all evening with my coat and hat on. Could feel the imperfections in his concrete just walking across it. Windows totally frosted over.

As Eddie is suggesting, educated shopping and choices will get where you want to be. But first you have to be clear about your expectations. My friend is happy with his building and I am happy for him.

 

[newbury]

12' x 6' x 4' high = 72 sq.ft...... for $13,000 ?

$180/sq.ft.?

Mighty expensive small shed!

Think mobile!

20x6x4!

I am starting to lean toward steel. I will probably build it myself. Doesn't look that hard to me. I'm gonna have to buy an extra camera to capture more than one angle . I think I will try to video it from beginning to end and edit together something that answers other people's questions.

Set up a bunch of Wyze cams and record it.

I think you hit it on the nose, Buckeye. We are in a building boom here. The prices for townhouses are ridiculous. My place is rural, on a dirt road but less that 20 miles from the city and there is a lot of money moving in around here. Or at least a lot of people with good enough credit to buy overpriced homes. There is a high priced ç*ºillage/town 7 miles from me where you can spend half a million on a house thatç—´ so close to your neighbor, that you can toss them a beer when you are both on your porch. And there are no less than 1000 houses being built right now in my area of the county. That is not a number i pulled out of the air. It comes from the county government. It probably doesnt compare to some places but its
Crazy just the same. As for the first estimate,

Free Union is about 45 miles from Culpeper and a little over 110 from Washington, DC. Urbanization is coming.
You are on the outskirts of the growing megalopolis.

Whatever you build, if done well, will be worth a fortune in a decade.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Here, outbuildings don't really add much to the value of a property. Certainly not if you go high end and then only add a fraction of what they cost.

 

[ovrszd]

Here, if on an acreage, 40 acres or less, they add a lot. In most cases more than construction cost.